- Original name:
- Edward Israel Iskowitz
- Born:
- January 31, 1892, New York, New York, U.S.
- Died:
- October 10, 1964, Beverly Hills, California (aged 72)
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born January 31, 1892, New York, New York, U.S.—died October 10, 1964, Beverly Hills, California) was an American comedian and star of vaudeville, burlesque, the legitimate stage, radio, and television.
Cantor was cared for by his grandmother on New York City’s Lower East Side when he was orphaned at age two. From early childhood he clowned and sang for coins on street corners, and he developed a talent for mimicry. When he was 12, he attended a summer camp for youngsters sponsored by the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) where his impersonations were enthusiastically received. He dropped out of elementary school to work but could not keep a job, because of his irrepressible clowning.
Cantor won an amateur-night competition at a theater in the Bowery district and was on his way into vaudeville as a blackface song-and-dance man. He toured with various theater companies, including Ziegfeld’s and the Schuberts. He appeared in such Broadway reviews as Broadway Brevities (1920) and Make It Snappy (1922), and from 1923 to 1926 he was a star in Kid Boots and from 1928 to 1929 in Whoopee!.
After he had attained Broadway stardom, Cantor turned to radio with The Chase and Sanborn Hour in September 1931. Performing as a stand-up comedian, he used his vaudeville experience to outstanding effect and combined the expression of patriotism and personal values with humor; audiences responded enthusiastically. With changes of name, the show continued for 18 years on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) networks.
Cantor also appeared in films, several of which—Kid Boots (1926) and Whoopee! (1930)—were based on his Broadway shows. He also served as host of The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater, a half-hour television variety show that was syndicated in 1955. He briefly appeared in a cameo role in the biopic The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). He received an honorary Academy Award “for distinguished service to the film industry” in 1957 and three years later was awarded three stars (for television, radio, and film) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.